1. Field of the Invention
The present application relates generally to an improved data processing apparatus and method and more specifically to mechanisms for modifying an appearance of a vehicle based on the content of the vehicle.
2. Background of the Invention
Advertising is a large part of modern society with advertisements being presented in various media to which individuals are exposed. For example, advertisements are present on television, radio, in printed materials, on street corner kiosks, on billboards, and the like. Modem billboards, for example, have the ability to change the displayed advertisement by having a mechanical mechanism that rotates individual slats in the billboard on a periodic basis so that a different advertisement is displayed periodically. Recently, such mechanisms have further been applied to vehicles, i.e. trucks, which have smaller scale billboards integrated into the sides of the vehicle. These vehicle based billboards operate in much the same manner as their rotatable billboard cousins but are mobile in nature with rotatable billboards being able to be placed on multiple sides of the vehicle.
In addition, with the ability to manufacture larger sized electronic displays at a relatively lower cost, advertising has moved to an increased use of video display devices in public areas. For example, large scale liquid crystal display (LCD) devices, plasma display devices, light emitting diode (LED) display devices, and the like, are used to display advertisements as well as other information in public areas, such as in arenas, along roadways, on building signage, and the like. A computerized mechanism is used to control the textual/graphical output of the electronic displays and to change the textual/graphical displays in accordance with a predetermined schedule.